Telemedicine developer GlobalMed has launched a new cloud application aimed at eliminating the need for unnecessary CT scans and radiation exposure – especially among children.

Branded CapSure Cloud, the application works by making an initial CT scan available to all healthcare providers involved in a patient’s care.

Once images have been uploaded to a secure server from the originating hospital, they can be shared with specialists at the receiving hospital.

In the case of emergencies, that means a team at the receiving hospital can be more prepared for a patient’s arrival.

According to research, even a single CT scan increases the risk a patient will develop cancer over his or her lifetime, and a second CT scan doubles the level of risk.

Nevertheless, in trauma cases at small hospitals, patients typically receive a CT scan before being transferred to a larger hospital where a second scan is performed.

A study from JAMA Pediatrics published last year indicated that use of CT scans in pediatrics – combined with the wide variability in radiation doses – has led to many children receiving a high-dose examination.

According to a National Cancer Institute study published in 2009, CT scans will cause 29,000 excess cancer cases and 14,500 excess deaths over the lifetime of those exposed.

“Children are considerably more sensitive to radiation than adults because of their growing bodies and the rapid pace at which the cells in their bodies divide,” said the National Cancer Institute.

“Cancer develops over time,” said Joel Barthelemy, managing director of GlobalMed (Scottsdale, AZ, USA). “Children have more life years ahead for this to occur. Minimizing radiation exposure is paramount.”